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Requested-Review: ROUGH RIDE by Keri Ford

You do for family, no matter what. Lane Iverson knows that better than anyone. Harboring a secret about his mother’s death, Lane is counting the days until he finishes helping his brothers with some work and can head back to his hiding hole hours away. As long as he doesn’t have to face his three brothers every day, the guilt is easier to carry.

There is only one thing that can risk his plan. All of five foot tall, with these deep eyes and a voice that shudders through him. The completely addicting, Gretchen Jones. She’s been watching him the entire time he’s been in town. With courage from her friends behind her, she confronts what she wants. To her surprise, that’s the easy part. Keeping her heart protected when she knows he’ll be leaving? Not so easy, but her only choice.

Memorable Scenes: – Any of the scenes with Gretchen, Tonya and Flora together > those three together are a hoot! – Any of the scenes with 2 or more of the Iverson siblings together > The banter is so much fun! – that first time Lane and Gretchen make love > beautifully written love scene that singed the pages! – Gretchen and Lane sexting at the hospital > humor and heat; two of my favorite things

Gretchen Jones is sweet, friendly and helpful but she’s also resolute and no pushover. Though she likes to makes sure others are satisfied and taken care for, she has here limits and when she reaches them, people better beware.

Lane Iverson is gruff, sarcastic and morose. He’s also guilt-ridden and loyal. I loved Lane and his gruff attitude and yet how his brain turned to mush every time Gretchen was near. He fights it though because in his eyes Gretchen is a “forever/relationship” kind of woman and he can’t give her that. It was so much fun to read how Lane was a goner (for Gretchen) from the start while in his mind he was trying not to fall for her and kept having to remind himself that he was leaving Apple Trail and her. I loved how sweet he was to Gretchen beneath the veneer of gruffness.

The most important secondary characters were Gretchen’s best friends Flora and Tonya and Lane’s triplet brothers Trent and Jacob. From Keri Ford’s website it’s clear these characters will be the main couples in the two other books of this trilogy and I’m positively thrilled about that. They were all just as awesome as Gretchen and Lane and I can’t wait to read what Keri has in store for them.

What I missed in the last Apple Trail book, the layers of the budding relationship and going deeper into them, was definitely present in this one and I love Keri for it. Keri Ford brought back the magic with this first Iverson triplet story and I’m ready for triplet number 2!

Talking to Keri on Twitter she said: “everything about that book just worked and clicked so well while I was writing it.” this showed in the book! It flowed and I had a great time reading it, enjoyed it thoroughly. I especially loved the various layers of humor that it contained. The humor was balanced just right with the heavier emotional moments in the story.

The romance and sex was excellently done. The romance was strong, believable and filled with emotion and just how I like my romance to be. The sexual chemistry provided a wonderful build-up and Keri Ford delivered on it with steamy sexy-times scenes.

I loved ROUGH RIDE. It’s my favorite Keri Ford book to-date and a terrific start of the Roughnecks series. It had heat, emotion and humor. A trinity that is so important in making a romance novel work for me.

Favorite Quotes:
She smiled at him, all full lips and deep, soulful eyes.
“Hey, Lane. What can I do for you?” Tie me up and make me your sex slave for the next month. He pulled his tongue out of his throat and got his eyes off her stomach and the little indent of her belly button. Now that would be a good place for his tongue to go.

Oh no. Oh hell no. Not a good idea. “I don’t think you feeding me is in our rental agreement.”
“It’s not.”
“Do you cook for all your renters?” Her lips curled up as she moved across the bedroom and returned to his side. “Only the ones who stare at my ass when my back is turned.”
His mouth opened, words waiting, but he shut it. Best to keep his trap shut before he stuck his foot in it.

What the hell just happened? He scrubbed over his face. He was, no. They were here together. And then she was gone. He peeked out the window behind the couch for a double check. She had already walked to the center of the drive of the trailer parker. Her ass swung sideto-side in her short shorts. Hair was tossed in the wind. He sat back straight and scrubbed his hands over his face. This was a big mess about to happen. Or was already happening.
His phone trilled from the bedroom and he went after it to find a text from his oldest brother.
~Hey shithead, you’re supposed to walk them home.~
Lane shook his head. ~Mind your own damn business, nosey bastard.~
He put the phone down, only for it to buzz again within a minute. ~Someone’s bitchy. Wanna talk about your feelings too?~
He sighed. ~Wanna feel my foot up your ass?~

Then there was his work boots. God, what was it about work boots? They were big and bulky. The few times she’d walked in his house, she’d had to watch her step so not to fall all over them, but lord have mercy, they were sexy. Not as sexy as him answering his door in that towel that didn’t even begin to cover or hide. Not even close. She groaned right there in the middle of the dining room. So much muscle and body. He had been wet from the shower and it’d taken all she had not say screw the pie and instead push him to the floor and do every dirty thing she could think of.

The morning air was warm and muggy, the sun bright and direct. She kept her head down on the blinding pale-yellow gravel drive and hurried home.
“Nice walk of shame.”
She looked up and found Tonya standing on her porch with a cup of coffee and a big grin slapped on her face. Gretchen walked up and sank into a chair along the corner of the porch.
“It’s not the walk of shame.”
“Mm-hum.” Tonya sipped from her coffee. “What do you call it then?”
“The I-had-sex-last-night-more-than-once-then-again-this-morning-and-you-didn’t walk. And I’ve done it for several days.”